Hi folks! We all have a fancy for statistics, don’t we? Don’t you constantly keep an eye on the ICC rankings to see whether our very own Virat is at the top of the pile among ODI batsmen, or whether Ravindra Jadeja is among the best all-rounders in the world? To satiate our hunger for these statistics, SPORTZWIKI presents to you an all-new section ‘STATS’ in which we would cover the most interesting stats in the cricketing world.
Today , we take a look at Top 10 ODI captains to hit maximum sixes while chasing. It is in adversity that the true character and temperament of a batsman is tested, it is how he responds when the chips are down that filters the great men from the ordinary. Chases are truly a different ball game compared to putting a total on the board as a wide range of factors come into play – none bigger than the pressure of the climbing required run rate. SPORTZWIKI takes a look at the most successful batsman in chases as we unravel the Top 10 ODI captains to hit maximum sixes while chasing.
10. Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting was a dream batsman for the cricketing purist – he had the most technically goregous shots in his armoury but the former Australian skipper could easily turn up the heat with a few big sixes, and was known to favour the mid wicket region. Punter is 10th in SPORTZWIKI’s Top 10 ODI captains to hit maximum sixes while chasing with 24 sixes.
9. Mohammed Azharuddin
Watching Mohammed Azharuddin bat was a delight like no other. So classy, so elegant, yet so unforgiving and ruthless. Azhar redefined batting with his exquisite brand of strokeplay, and is 9th in SPORTZWIKI’s Top 10 ODI captains to hit maximum sixes while chasing with 27 sixes.
8. Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya’s stint on an dance reality show on Indian televison may not have worked out as he would have hoped, but on the pitch in terms of pure hitting, no batsman came close to his destructive opener from Sri Lanka.
7. Stephen Fleming
One of the players in the modern game whose contribution cannot be gauged merely on the basis of stat books – Fleming was more than just a decent top-order batsman with an average in the mid-30s. He was an inspirational leader, and led from the front with his batting with his 30 sixes in a chasing cause for New Zealand.
6. Sir Vivian Richards
Who else but Sir Vivian Richards? Doesn’t the name say it all? Hailed by many as one of the greatest all-rounders in the spot, Sir Viv has 33 sixes in the 2nd innings of an ODI and earns the 6th spot in SPORTZWIKI’s Top 10 ODI captains to hit maximum sixes while chasing.
5. Brian Lara
Wouldn’t be far from the truth to conclude that Lara carried West Indies on his shoulders, more often than we think he did. A class apart, Lara had the ability to accelarate the innings with big shots. 33 sixes are pretty good aren’t they?
4. MS Dhoni
Finisher extraordinaire MS Dhoni is one of the calmest heads in a critical situation. The man from Ranchi has rescued India on countless occasions in chases. The most important six he hit? The one to clinch the World Cup for a billion people. 2nd April, 2011.
3. Hansie Cronje
Hansie Cronje will be forever linked to bookies and match-fixing and the murkier side of cricket, Thrown into the South African job at the age of 25, Cronje was a born leader of men and was an exceptional talent with the bat, and some of his best batting displays have come in chases. Cronje is 3rd in in SPORTZWIKI’s Top 10 ODI captains to hit maximum sixes while chasing with 36 sixes.
2. Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle’s stand-and-deliver method hasn’t won many admirers from the bowlers around the world. Usually, there is only one outcome when you pitch it up to his man. And that is not a pleasant sight for any bowler. Chris Gayle is a close 2nd in in SPORTZWIKI’s Top 10 ODI captains to hit maximum sixes while chasing.
1. Sourav Ganguly
“Dada”, as we fondly call him, was the architect of so many great Indian chases over the years with his blazing starts at the top of the order. 51 sixes are ample proof that Ganguly, pound for pound, was arguably the most destructive batsman of his generation. He is 1st in in SPORTZWIKI’s Top 10 ODI captains to hit maximum sixes while chasing.